Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to implantation of prostheses, and more particularly, to the implantation of an implantable component of the prosthesis.
Related Art
For persons who cannot benefit from traditional acoustic hearing aids, there are other types of commercially available hearing prostheses such as, for example, bone conduction hearing prostheses (commonly referred to as “bone conduction devices”). Bone conduction devices mechanically transmit sound information to a recipient's cochlea by delivering vibrations to recipient's skull. This enables the hearing prosthesis to be effective regardless of whether there is disease or damage in the outer or middle ear.
Traditionally, bone conduction devices transfer vibrations from an external vibrator to the skull through a percutaneous bone conduction device that penetrates the skin and is physically attached to both the vibrator and the skull. Typically, the bone conduction implant is located behind the auricle facilitating the efficient transfer of sound via the skull to the cochlea. The bone conduction implant connecting the vibrator to the skull generally comprises two components: a bone attachment component such as a bone fixture that is attached directly to the skull, and a skin penetrating component attached to the bone attachment component, commonly referred to as an abutment.